Seven (32 page)

During the guitar break he lays the microphone down on the table, and holds me tightly to him in a private dance, in front of the entire bar. “Savannah, I didn’t want this day to come, for you to get that cast off because I’ve been so damn scared that you would leave me and go back home to your apartment and I don’t want that. I want you with me. Always. My life doesn’t feel complete when you’re not with me. My bed is too big when you’re not in it. My daughter needs a woman in her life who will treat her the way a little princess deserves to be treated. Please, Sev, will you move in with me and Ivy?”

It’s happy irony that he asks because as soon as the doctor told me I would need physical therapy, I assumed I would continue to stay with him. Any excuse to stay there was one I was willing to consider. Fuck my apartment. I hate stairs anyway.

“On one condition.” I smirk.

“Anything. Name it,” he says eagerly.

I pause for a second and then with a twinkle in my eye I say “You’ll have to teach me how to pee and brush my teeth in the shower at the same time while washing my hair with my non tooth-brushing hand.”

EPILOGUE

I’m a ball of excited nerves as we enter the doctor’s office today. All of my important stuff is getting moved to Bryant’s tomorrow but first, we have to take care of our big ultrasound appointment. Today, with any luck, we’ll find out whether we’re having a boy or a girl.

“How about Finn if it’s a boy?” Bryant asks in the waiting room. He’s been fidgeting all over the place for the past twenty minutes as we sit here waiting for our turn. He’s every bit as excited and nervous as I am. I think about the name Finn for a moment before shaking my head. “Nah, I’m not feeling it. How about Meredith for a girl?”

Bryant wobbles his head back and forth pursing his lips. “Not bad. Ivy and Meredith…hmm…nah. We need something that flows well.”

We both sit quietly for a moment thinking of just the perfect name.

“Clyde,” Bryant says proudly.

“What? No!” I laugh.

“Come on, he’ll be hung like a horse, I just know it.”

“Hahaha! I don’t need to be thinking of how well hung my son might be and what if it’s a girl anyway? Besides…Clyde and Ivy doesn’t sound right. Sounds too much like Captain and Tennille.”

“Good point.” He nods.

The door in front of us opens and a nurse in pink scrubs steps out. “Savannah Turner?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” I say as Bryant quickly stands up to help me up, keeping his hand on the small of my back as I waddle down the hall. The ultrasound tech has me lay down on the table and lift up my shirt so that she can begin her routine.

“Okay, I’m going to take a few measurements of the baby’s arms, legs, head, and stomach and then will need to measure the heartbeat. Do you know what you’re having yet?”

“No we don’t. We were hoping to find out today,” Bryant explains.

“Well, there are never any promises that the baby will be in a good position to see but we’ll do our best to try and find out before we finish up.”

We both watch the screen in awe. It’s a precious sight to behold. The tiny human we created is alive and kicking inside of me. It’s a bond I’ll never forget for as long as I live. For about twenty minutes the baby moves around as the technician gets the measurements she’s looking for. At one point it even looks like he or she is waving at us.

“That’s the baby sucking her thumb there, do you see it?”

“Her? Her? You said her…is it a her?” Bryant asks. “Are we having a girl? I have another daughter? Another princess?”

The technician smiles and turns her head towards Bryant and me. “Congratulations guys, you are having a girl.”

Bryant’s hand runs through his hair as his eyes grow large and watery. “We’re having a girl.” He chokes on his words. “A girl.”

I close my eyes taking it all in for just a minute.

It hits me then.

My dream.

Peyton, Ivy and…the little girl.

My Past.

My Present.

My Future.

“Rose,” I whisper, tears trickling down my face.

“What?” Bryant asks.

“Rose. Her name is Rose.”

Bryant tilts his head, lovingly gazing at me. He leans over me, placing a soft kiss on my lips.

“Perfect choice. She’ll be our Kentucky Rose.”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I never in a million gazillion years thought I would ever write and publish ONE book let alone two! Life just keeps getting more fun and I have many of you to thank for that. Don’t for one second think that I’m not humbled by it or take it for granted. Writing has helped bring me out of a place I never want to have to return to again. You are all my sunshine!

Jen, I can’t thank you enough for telling me that you knew two women, on opposite ends of the country, who were crazy about
Solving
Us
. I’ll never ever forget how giddy excited they both were the night we all chatted for the first time on Facebook. Now they’re two of my bestest friends and reliable teammates. Had it not been for you, I wouldn’t have either of them in my life…so THANK YOU for your gift!

Nikki and Shaniqua (see what I did there?), thank you from the bottom of my very humbled heart for being those two giddy excited ladies who couldn’t believe they were getting the chance to talk to an “author”. You make my world brighter every damn day. If this book receives any recognition, I’m pretty sure I can confidently say it’s all due to both of you. Your excitement and passion for greatness is contagious! Nikki, thank you for jumping right in and editing the crap out of my terrible writing! I know, I already know I’m an ellipses whore and I sort of kind of used lots of extra commas this time on purpose. You’re welcome. Also, thank you for not throwing up your hands and leaving me when I needed you the most. Your patience and work ethic are unbelievable and I owe you seven shots of something really yummy!

Samantha, I think you’re the best damn graphic designer a girl could ever have the pleasure of working with. You made all those late night work sessions FUN and exciting! I love your creativity, and your work ethic, and your determination to make everything as perfect as possible. I can’t wait to see Grothic Designs thrive BIG TIME!

Lauren, after the year you’ve had, you deserve the world. I hope one day I can have a part in giving it to you. Thank you, again, for putting up with all my inconsequential book talk while you dealt with pneumonia, flu, ear infections and drippy noses. You’re stronger than pretty much anyone I know.

Kelli and Nichelle, I owe you both a TON for coming to my aid at the last minute. Seriously, Mexican food is on ME! THANK YOU for all of your help.

Doug, this is all your fault.
Seven
is all your fault…and I couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for loving me okay even when you didn’t want to. Thank you for being my best friend, the one I giggle with late at night, the one who dries my tears when I’m frustrated and the only one who can help me with researching those steamy scenes. And most importantly thank you for being the best damn daddy in the world to our two children.

To all my new blogger acquaintances, fans new and old, and friends, colleagues, and supporters…thank you for letting me have the opportunity to fulfill a dream I didn’t know I had. This is the life I want to lead, the life that makes me the happiest. Getting to meet and talk to so many of you is seriously a humbling experience each and every time. I hope you all understand that you are ALL my sunshine on a rainy day. I hope you’ll continue to share your awesome encouragement and experience this adventure right along with me.

And last but never least…Amy Smith…if it weren’t for you, Bryant wouldn’t have ever learned how to pee and brush his teeth in the shower at the same time while washing his hair with his non-tooth brushing hand. You’re a genius!

About the Author

Susan Renee wants to live in a world where paint doesn’t smell, Hogwarts is open twenty-four/seven, and everything is covered in glitter. An indie romance author, Susan has written about everything from lawn mowers to thick colossal bottles of wine, and has won a Snuggle Buddy award for her nonfiction book,
The Hula Hoop Tester’s Guide to Jumping
. She lives in Ohio with her family and seven tiny donkeys. She’s a Pet Whispering major from OMGU with a Masters in medical care for inanimate objects (a la Doc McStuffins). Susan enjoys crab-walking through the Swiss Alps, drinking Muscle Milk, and doing the Care Bear stare with her closest friends.

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Other Works By Susan Renee

SOLVING US

Available now at

Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com

*****

“What scares you?”

“Love. Love scares me, Finn. Everybody I love I lose and,” I let go of his face. “My past is…”

“Lonely? Dark? Confusing? Like your puzzle pieces don’t fit?” he asks me.

“My puzzle pieces…” I ponder his thought for a moment. “Finn...my past feels like a fucked up Rubik's Cube.”

“Mmm… Rubik's Cube, huh?”

“Yeah”

“Sounds perfect,” he mutters.

“Perfect?”

Did he hear me correctly?

“I just told you my life is like a fucked up Rubik’s Cube, and that’s perfect?”

“Yeah.” He smiles at me. “I know how to solve a Rubik's Cube.”

Finn takes my hand in his and folds our fingers together, our hands now looking like a completed puzzle. The gesture isn’t lost on me.

“Olivia, I understand exactly what you’re saying; in fact, I could’ve used the same metaphor. You feel like your life is a cluster fuck of colored cubes that just don’t seem to match up.”

I look at Finn stunned. He sees me. He gets me.

“Yeah. That’s exactly how I feel. So, I work hard to get one side to completely line up, and I love it, but as soon as I try to line up another side, I lose everything I had before.”

“Yeah but, Liv, sometimes in order to solve a Rubik’s Cube, you have to go backwards before you can move forward.  And no matter what, I’ll go backwards with you so that we can move forward together. You don’t have to feel alone anymore. I
want
to be here with you. You have me. You have my heart. I’m giving it to you. Use it.”